The object of this course is to enter into the apparently simple practices which are used daily as part of larger practices which have been reduced to mere ritual dogma and ceremony. These are not explained as a profound teaching and as such, actually generate a subtle virus of intellectual indifference towards the practices themselves.
THE GUIDE AND LINEAGE
Part 2
“We want Buddhist Masters to be something special, something apart from the rest of humanity.”
"If "someone -- anyone" can become a Buddhist Master we're completely on our own. Kicked out of the nest and forced to fly solo with no other option than to go splat on the hard cold ground.”
Now here we have two important factors. Need a Buddhist Master be something special? The answer is no.
Should one be in the nest or outside it? The answer is, “in the nest with a clear comprehension that there must be no dependence, clinging or craving to the nest or to the master."
The Master is only a vehicle to transport the “way”. He does not even impart WISDOM… He only imparts the way that you yourself can acquire that Wisdom. It is only important therefore if that Master knows the way. And the only way that he can be sure is if he has travelled the path and reached a point where he can lead someone to the door. He cannot open that door. You have to do that.
He is then a carrier of the “waters of truth.”
Now I am going to present you with an image. Imagine that Buddha generated a small stream of water somewhere in the mountains and continually poured water into that stream. Eventually that stream would find a path downwards. Now imagine that further on in that new flow of water there is a potential sage living in his cave, or tending his sheep or crushing sesame seeds who drinks of that stream… He is enriched and decides that he too will add to that stream, so he adds a little of the wisdom he has discovered and a few details of the path. The stream goes on, but now it is wider… And the stream goes on with thousands of masters adding water to that stream. Sometimes the stream branches into one or more parts, but the water goes on.
Finally you are walking in the countryside and come upon that stream… You are thirsty and drink.
Now the water tastes fine and imparts wisdom, but you wonder if you can really do anything with that wisdom.
Suddenly a rider passes and says “have you taken water from that stream.”
“Yes”, you reply.
“You are lucky then”, he says. “Upstream thousands of people like you have taken and felt strength in that water and all have become sages. Every one has added something to the stream.”
What happens? You suddenly have confidence. “This is a great stream of water.” But more than that, you feel how fortunate you are to receive such a blessing. You too can eventually add to that stream.
Now I ask you what is important. Is it the names of the masters and their contribution to the stream or the fact that the stream is enriched by many who have gone before? Clearly it is the second. Then why do so many people in the practice of Guru Yoga simply mindlessly repeat a list of names and individual contributions to the stream?
They are foolish and have lost the essence of the waters… It is the wisdom of the waters which is important and the fact that it has come to you. Internalizing that and gaining the confidence in the “life-giving powers” of the water is Guru Yoga. The names mean nothing.
The problem with the idea presented in Guru Yoga is that those who may have been great sages and contributed a great deal to the “waters of truth” do not appear listed in the Guru Yoga practice and many of those listed have contributed very little. That is why it is better to forget names and contributions and concentrate upon the stream itself and contents of the stream. Fools are carried into adoration and clinging when they use names of the Masters. It is a dangerous trap and I hope that you can see it.
THE DIRECT STREAM
You can now perhaps see that one way of transmission of “the way” is by the stream. You may receive transmission in that way directly from a master who may have received his transmission from another master. This is called transmission by lineage, but it is not the only way of transmission.
THE FOUNTAIN
If we return to the analogy of the stream, you will see that sometimes a small part of a stream may fall into a chasm and go underground. It may not be seen for great distances, then suddenly it may appear in an unexpected place. The potential sage who drinks from it is no less gifted by the transmission, but he has no way of knowing where it came from.
When he examines what is the most important factor of the stream, he may find it is a comprehension of the unity of all things. He may then believe that that fount of unity is the spirit of Samantabhadra. He may then say with clarity and correctly that it was a direct transmission of Samantabhadra. Really of course there is no such creature. He or she has received that transmission from the essence of unity within himself, which is also within all creatures. Samantabhadra is the symbolic representation of that wisdom and he or she may even have received a visitation of that form if he or she is aware of this representation. If he is not profoundly aware of the systems, he will actually believe in the visitation of visualization. That does not matter at all. What is important is that he has drunk from the stream.
THE WELL
Still a third way of transmission is that of an investigation profoundly into the nature of all things. This is like digging a well deep into the ground until one finally reaches water and drinks from it. Few can perform that feat. Buddha was one.
Now it matters not what form of transmission is received, one must be ready for that transmission and that is where the important preparatory work comes in. For most it will be by the direct stream and Refuge which we have examined and Guru Yoga which we are speaking of here are two essential preparations.
And to qualify for Dharma Transmission, you simply have to demonstrate that you are ready to take full and complete responsibility for the whole Universe all the time -- every single second of every single day. That is the difficult part. And the first point to look for in a Master is not how he looks, how he presents things, but his attitude and possession of the fruits of the stream.